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The benefits of a visit from a PAT Team
Time with a dog or cat can bring smiles, laughter and a sense of joy - especially important in hospitals, care homes and schools. PAT visits are designed to be inclusive, bringing comfort to people of all ages and backgrounds.
For those feeling isolated or unwell, a therapy dog offers non-judgmental companionship and emotional support. In educational settings, therapy pets can boost children's confidence and focus, and improve their reading skills. And for people living with dementia or experiencing cognitive challenges, interacting with a dog can trigger memories and improve engagement.
The presence of a dog or cat can transform the atmosphere, creating moments of lightness and delight. If you’d like to arrange for an incredible PAT Pet to bring magic to somewhere in your local community, please register with us.
Making the most of your PAT visits
Before you register with PAT, there are a few things to consider to make the our visits safe and enjoyable for everyone involved:
Visit goals - What would you like to achieve? Are you hoping to support wellbeing, improve social interaction, encourage communication or simply boost people's mood?
The people involved - How many people will be present? Do any of them have allergies, fears or specific needs that should be considered?
Support and supervision – What induction or training will the PAT Volunteer receive? How will they be supported and supervised during each visit?
Policies – Do your current policies, such as infection control, need updating to accommodate a PAT visit?
Safeguarding – You must carry out your own Safeguarding risk assessment before registering with PAT. If the volunteering role requires a DBS check, it is your responsibility to arrange this.
Travel expenses - PAT visits are free of charge, but we hope you’ll be able to cover travel expenses for the volunteer.
Once you’ve registered with Pets As Therapy and shared these details, we’ll work with our volunteer community to find you a perfect match. Our goal is to ensure every visit is safe, enjoyable and beneficial for everyone involved – including the pet.
Other places we visit
Our volunteers visit a wide variety of places, including organised groups within community or day centres, as well as universities. If would like to receive a PAT visit, and you don't fit into the school, hospital or care home categories, we’d still love to hear from you.
Just complete our registration form, and we’ll explore how we can share the joy of animal companionship.
Unfortunately we're unable to offer visits to individuals in their own home.